If, as expected, Alan Pardew is sacked as Newcastle United manager in the wake of defeat to Stoke last night, it would leave Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in the extraordinary position of having more experience in his current job than the rest of the Premier League’s bosses put together.
By coincidence Wenger celebrates the 18th anniversary of his arrival at Arsenal today, and if Pardew does get the chop he will become the 187th Premier League manager to leave his job since the Frenchman walked into Highbury in 1996.
Pardew, who has been at Newcastle since December 2010, is the second longest-serving manager in the division after Wenger, who is now into his 19th season in charge of the Gunners. But the Magpies boss is on thin ice after yet another defeat, and most Toon fans now want him to go, reports the Daily Telegraph.
With Pardew out of the picture, Wenger’s closest rival in the longevity stakes would be Sam Allardyce of West Ham, who has clung onto his job since June 2011 – a paltry three seasons – but is widely expected to get his marching orders at some point this season.
After Allardyce, the next longest-serving manager working in the top flight is Nigel Pearson of Leicester City, who has been at the King Power stadium for just under three years. Of course, he has only been working in the Premier League for two months.
Next up is Brendan Rodgers of Liverpool, who arrived at Anfield in June 2012 and has just two campaigns under his belt. Although he has been in at Anfield for 16 fewer seasons than Wenger, it’s possible that Rodgers will be the second-longest serving manager in the top flight by the end of the current campaign.
Taking Pardew and Wenger out of the equation, the total number of seasons the Premier League’s managers have spent in charge of their current clubs in the top flight is just 17, and that includes Jose Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea.
Of course, veterans like Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes, Harry Redknapp and Roberto Martinez have been knocking around Premier League for years, but betwen them they have they have been in their current jobs for a combined to total of six seasons.
Given the problems Man United have experienced since Alex Ferguson retired and the managerial chaos that regularly engulfs the teams around them in the Premier League, Arsenal fans could be forgiven for raising a glass or two to Wenger this evening.
